More people are living on Valley streets compared to last year while the overall number of homeless people dropped a bit. That’s according to figures released Thursday from the homeless Point-in-Time count.

The University of Arizona’s medical school in downtown Phoenix is welcoming a new dean. Dr. Guy Reed will begin his new post in July. He’s currently the chair of the University of Tennessee’s Department of Medicine.

A longtime Valley civic leader known for his work with community organizations has passed away. Pete Garcia was the CEO of Chicanos por La Causa for 25 years. Garcia is credited with developing many of the organization’s programs that now serve nearly 200,000 people in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.

Recent executions in Arkansas, as well as the decision by Ohio Gov. John Kasich to delay several executions pending a legal review has kept the issue of the death penalty and lethal injection on the minds of many Americans.

Arizona has a huge shortage of physicians — especially in rural areas. And that extends to mental health care, as well. One option that is offering more opportunities is telemental health, with psychological or psychiatric care being provided remotely. The University of Arizona is considered a national leader in telebehavioral health.

Representatives from the four Arizona counties that share a border with Mexico have come together to start a new group. The Arizona Border Counties Coalition will be advocating for economic development and cross-border cooperation, among other things.

Nationally, publicly funded contraceptive services are also widely used by women. A new study from the Guttmacher Institute shows 6.2 million women received publicly-funded contraceptive services from more than 10,000 clinics in 2015. And, not just Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood funding in Arizona is under threat in the state budget proposal being debated in the Legislature today. We speak with Bre Thomas, CEO of the Arizona Family Health Partnership. She says if the Department of Health Services was giving out this money, a 2012 state law would bar the state from giving it to agencies that provide abortion services.

State lawmakers are scheduled to debate, and then vote on, the new state budget later today. The package of bills passed through House and Senate committees on Wednesday. One of the key issues has been education — specifically pay raises for teachers.

Chair of the Armed Services Committee, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, joined the chorus of voices this week expressing concern about the nomination of Mark Green for Army secretary. Green’s nomination has been controversial because of comments he’s made about the LGBT community, including calling transgender a “disease.”

We start today’s program by looking into a much-anticipated political battle that’s not going to happen. Arizona’s 9th District Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, one of the state’s acknowledged Democratic superstars, has decided not to challenge Sen. Jeff Flake next year when he’s up for re-election.

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